Chairs Fall Off Ski Lift in Maine

At Sugarloaf, Maine's second-highest mountain, five chairs fell off a ski lift on Tuesday, as 40 mph winds derailed the transportation device. Stunned skiers fell nearly 30 feet from the lift to the ground, injuring six skiers, but none were life-threatening; recent snow on the mountain, after a massive blizzard, cushioned the fall for many of the skiers. There were 220 skiers on the lift at the time of the accident, but witnesses say that the ski patrol came minutes after the lift derailed, and all the injured were sent to nearby hospitals. One witness recalls seeing a skier sent off on a gurney and one skier was flown to another hospital for additional care. Inspectors from the Board of Elevator and Tramway Safety will examine the ski lift for any faulty equipment that could have caused the accident. The lift passed its most recent inspection.